Hose bridge and curb jumper



E. W. TAYLOR HOSE BRIDGE AND CURB JUMPER March 14, 1939.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1220833303: Edlvard WT Filed Jan. 30, 1957 March 14, 1939. E. w TAYLOR HOSE BRIDGE AND CURB JUMPER Filed Jan. 30, 193'! 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lzweeaior. v Edlvard WT 1239202 W Gil Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel and improved hose bridge and curb jumper having two purposes, one to bridge a fire hose on a highway to enable vehicles to pass over it without injury to the hose, and the other to provide a ramp to rest upon a highway next to a curb to enable the wheels of a vehicle to ascend to the sidewalk. The device has many advantages which will appear during the following detailed description. The invention will best be understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be pointed out more particularly in. the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a hose bridge and curb jumper embodying the invention, arranged as a bridge;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of. the device arranged as a curb jumper;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the device folded into compact form for storage and transportation;

Fig. 6 is a plan on an enlarged scale, illustrating an example of a hinge employed in the device; 7

Fig. 7 is a sectional View on line l--l of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is an elevation of one of the hooks of the hinge.

Referring to the drawings and to the embodiment of the invention illustrated. therein by way of example, there is shown a combined hose bridge and curb jumper comprising two ramps 1 separated from each other by a space I2 ope-n at the top for the introduction of a hose l4 shown as a dotted circle in Fig. 2. Preferably, the opposed or adjacent ends of the ramps are provided with recesses IE to provide ample clearance for the hose. The ramps have downwardly and oppositely inclined surfaces I8 for the wheels of a vehicle to ride upori;

The ramps are suitably connected to each other toenable them to accommodate themselves to inequalities of. the road surface and to enable one to be folded upon the other for compactness in storage and shipment (see Fig. and for use as a curb jumper (see Fig. 4). Furthermore, each ramp comprises a plurality of wheel supporting members separated by spaces 22 and suitably connected to one another to enable them to accommodate themselves to inequalities of the road surface in a transverse direction.

To these ends the ramps are suitably articulated to each other, and. the wheel supporting members are laterally articulated to each other as by an underlying flexible structure herein comprising flexible sheets 24 suitably secured to said members as by large-headed nails 25 (see Fig. 3) driven through said sheets into said members. In the present example, the sheets are conveniently composed of heavy canvas, preferably three plies adhesively secured together, sized with a waterproofing solution and painted. The flexibility of the sheet material itself it relied upon to furnish an articulation between the sides of the wheel supporting members, but in the: case of the connection between the ramps (below the space 12) I prefer to employ a suitable hinge such as the type presently to be described.

In the present example, the underlying flexible structure is extended in opposite directions from the remote ends of the ramps so that, when a wheel, a portion of which is indicated in dotted lines at 28 in Fig. 3, rides upon the extended portion and then starts to climb the first ramp, the bridge will not creep on the ground, and when the Wheel descends the other ramp and rides upon the second extended portion, the wheel will not kick the bridge rearwardly, Preferably, these extended portions are separate flexible sheets 30 like the sheets 2i and are hingedly attached thereto by hinges: of the same type as: the one used to attach the sheets 24 to each other, so that the sheets 36 may be folded as in. Fig. 5

for storage and transportation, or one of them may be folded as in Fig. 4 to enable the device to be used as a curb jumper.

,The type of hinge employed in the present example is a commercially available device comprising two sets of hooks 32 having loops 34 and prongs 36 and 38. These hooks are regularly furnished in carded form, that is to say, a set of hooks is attached to a card with the loops extending through the card and with the prongs projecting from an adjacent edge of the card, with the prongs spaced apart a sufficient distance to enable the end of a belt (herein one of the sheets 24 or 30) to be passed between the two sets of prongs until the card meets the end of the belt. The hooks are then. subjected to pressure which causes the prongs to penetrate the belt from opposite sides and clinched (see Fig. 7). Another set of hooks is applied to the other end and clinched in the same manner. A cord 40 passed through both sets: of loops (see Fig. 6) serves as a pintle, and its flexibility facilitates transverse flexing of the structure.

It should, of course, be understood. that two bridges are employed, one for the wheels at the left hand side of. the vehicle and one for the wheels at the right hand side. After the bridges have been placed properly for the tread or transverse spacing of the wheels, the hose is placed in the opening in the center of the bridge and rests upon the canvas base. The hose can be removed from the. bridge without moving the bridge itself. In the example shown, to enable the driver of the vehicle to center the wheels properly on the bridges, the outer blocks (see Fig. 1) and the intermediate ones are distinctively colored as by painting the outer ones white and the intermediate ones black. This is especially useful at night as the paths for the Wheels show up very plainly. Also, in the present example, the end sheets or aprons are provided with warnings such as the word slow painted thereon (see Fig. 1) to warn the driver to proceed slowly.

When, for any reason, a vehicle is to be driven from roadway onto a sidewalk, thedevice can be folded as in Fig. 4 and'laid in the gutter 42 with its higher end next to the curb 44, thus providing a relatively deep ramp. When the device is not in use, it may be folded as in Fig. 5, for storage and transportation in the fire-truck.

The invention is by no means limited to a bridge with a single opening for one hse,.but

in case two or more hoses placed close together are to be bridged, the device is merely elongated and provided with two or more openings with connections across and beneath them like those shown and described. This will naturally call for one or more flat, wheel-supporting members between the ramps.

Having thus described one embodiment of the invention but without limiting myself thereto, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure, is: 1

1. A hose bridge and curb jumper comprising, in combination, two ramps having downwardly and oppositely sloping top surfaces, said ramps having opposed, spaced ends, and means including sheet material beneath, secured to, and connecting said ramps, and extending in opposite directions beyond their remote ends.

2. A hose bridge and curb jumper comprising, in combination, four sheets hingedly connected in series, two sheets being intermediate the remaining two sheets and two ramps superimposed upon and secured to the two intermediate sheets and having opposed ends separated by a space open at the top for the introduction of a hose.

3. A foldable hose bridge and curb jumper comprising, in combination, two hingedly connected wheel supporting members separated from each other by a space open at the top for the introduction of a hose when said members are laid upon the ground with two ends facing oppositely toward each other, and two other wheel supporting members of lesser height than the first two and hingedly connected to the respective, relatively remote. ends of the latter.

4. A hose bridge comprising, in combination,

two ramps, each comprising a plurality of wheel supporting members, one ramp being articulate-d to the other, and the'members of each ramp being articulated to each other, said ramps being separated from each other by a space for the introduction of a hose.

5. A hose bridge comprising, in combination, two ramps, each comprising a plurality of wheel supporting members, one ramp being articulated to the other, and the members of each ramp being separated from each other by spaces and being articulated to each other, said ramps being separated from each other by a space for the introduction of a hose.

6. A hose bridge comprising, in combination, two ramps, each comprising a plurality of wheel section.

supporting members, one ramp being articulated to the other, and the members of each ramp being articulated to each other, said ramps being separated from each other by a space for the introduction of a hose, and two other wheel supporting members articulated to the relatively remote ends of said ramps.

7. A hose bridge comprising, in combination, two ramps, each comprising a plurality of wheel supporting members, one ramp being articulated to the other, and the members of each ramp being articulated to each other, said ramps being separated from each other by a space for the introduction of a hose, and two flexible sheets connected to and projecting endwise beyond the relatively remote ends of said ramps.

8. A hose bridge comprising, in combination, two ramps, each comprising a plurality of wheel supporting members, said ramps being separated from each other by a space for the introduction of a hose, the members of each ramp being separated from each other by spaces, and flexible material underlying and secured to said members.

9. A hose bridge comprising, in combination, two ramps, each comprising a plurality of wheel supporting members, said ramps being separated from each other by a space for the introduction of a hose, the members of each ramp being separated from each other by spaces, and flexible material underlying and secured to said members and projecting beyond the relatively remote ends of said ramps.

10. A hose bridge comprising, in combination, two ramps having opposed ends separated by a space open at the top for the 'mtroduction of a hose, flexible bases underlying and secured to said ramps, respectively, and a hinge structure connecting said bases to each other, said hinge structure being flexible in two directions, one transverse to the other.

11. A hose bridge comprising, in combination, two ramps having opposed ends separated by a space for the introduction of a hose, and an un derlying structure secured to the bottoms of said ramps and having portions which project beyond the relatively remote ends of said ramps, said portions being provided on their upper faces with warning indications.

12. A hose bridge device comprising in combination an elevated bridge section having a hosereceiving cavity and afiording a way for a vehicle wheel over the hose, and means extending flatly from at least one side and at the base of said bridge section for initially receiving the wheel tread, the said device being thereby solidly clamped by the wheel to the underlying surface at the time the wheel initially engages the elevated bridge section.

13. A hose bridge device comprising in combination an elevated bridge section having a hosereceiving cavity and aiio'rtl qrg a way for a vehicle wheel over the hose, anc: an apron extending flatly from at least one side and at the base of said bridge section and beyond said section to an extent insuring engagement of the wheel tread therewith in advance of engagement of said tread with the elevated bridge section, said initial engagement of the wheel with the apron serving to clamp the device to the underlying surface and preventing displacement of the device by thrust of said wheel against the elevated bridge EDWARD "W. TAYLOR. 

